


It Was You, My Shine Light

by old_enough_to_know_better



Category: ATEEZ (Band), K-pop
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Everyone Is Gay, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not Beta Read, Soulmates, Tags Are Hard, There's A Tag For That, dad jokes, everyone is dumb, i only write fluff, maybe other ships?, no beta we die like men, other characters may appear later, run san run, thirsty choi jongo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2020-04-11 18:59:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19115758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/old_enough_to_know_better/pseuds/old_enough_to_know_better
Summary: The world was grey, shades ranging from brightest white to darkest black. Everything was drab and dreary, until you met your soulmate.At least, that was how it was supposed to work.Mingi's always been able to see in color. How will he ever find his soulmate when he never knows when he'll meet them?





	1. In Which It Was Supposed To Be Red

**Author's Note:**

> Hello ATINYs! This is my first fic for ATEEZ, and I wrote this first chapter in like an hour before work today!
> 
> As I tagged, not betaed, so if you find any mistakes, let me know so I can fix them!
> 
> I kind of know where this is going, so it shouldn't drag on toooooo long, like my other fic does (wut up, STAYTINYs!)...
> 
> The title is from Light, by our boys, of course!

“It was _pink._ ” Wooyoung nudged his friend in the shoulder. “Mingi, you’re not listening. I could tell it was pink! I saw it!”

Mingi nodded. Here it was finally. Wooyoung had found his soulmate. Gone was probably the last person who didn’t want to spend all of their time talking about their other half, and the rainbow of colors that that special person enabled them to see. So forgive him if he was less than enthused.

“I have to find him again.” Wooyoung continued. “He just kept walking. He could be anyone! Oh god, what if I never find him?” The sheer panic on his face almost made Mingi laugh. Like that would be the worst thing in the world to have happen.

“BRO. Relax.” Mingi bro-ed him a little louder than necessary, but it was enough to snap Wooyoung back to reality. “You said he bumped into you when you were leaving your lecture and he was going in, right?” Wooyoung nodded and Mingi continued. “Then just stay late next class and wait to see if you see him again.”

Wooyoung blinked a few times in rapid succession before his mouth formed a small ‘O’. His shoulders relaxed and he chuckled. “You’re not as dumb as you look, you know that?” He dodged Mingi’s incoming fist with a laugh. “But dude, did you know that your hair is blue? And like, it’s got purple too. That’s cool.”

Mingi sighed. “Yeah, man, I knew.”

 

* * *

  


Mingi had watched so many of his friends find their soulmates. He was happy for them, really he was, but with every one, the sadness crept a little farther in. Still, he enjoyed watching the light in the faces of those closest to him when color finally burst into their vision, transforming their world from greyscale to technicolor. He wished that he could experience that.

He would never be able to see a blue sky for the first time, never marvel at a garden in spring. And he would probably never find his soulmate, either. He knew they were out there, somewhere, unlike the other sad, sad people on campus. You know, the ones who meet to talk about how the cosmic process of soul matching is total bull, convince themselves that they’re better off alone, and then drink themselves stupid to forget? Yeah, Mingi wasn’t one of them.

If only for the simple reason that he had already met his soulmate. Long before he could even remember. All of Mingi’s memories were brightly colored. His blue sash at his high school graduation. The red smear of blood on a scraped knee from a failed skateboarding attempt. The golden fur of his family dog.

He had stopped mentioning it to people a while ago. His teachers got mad when he would talk about things he couldn’t possibly know. His drawings were always colored accurately (they said he was cheating somehow), and though he hated using the special greyscale crayons that all the other kids used, he learned.

So now, when people asked, no, Mingi hadn’t met his soulmate yet. Yes, he was sure they were out there. Yes, thank you for the encouragement. He’s sure that he’ll find them someday. (He isn’t.)

Wooyoung was one of the few who knew that Mingi saw in color. As roommates, they were both privy to quite a bit of personal information about the other. Including a great deal of blackmail material, if they were being honest. And now, at the start of their second year of university, they had gathered quite a bit of information.

Wooyoung was a marketing major with a penchant for parties. As such, he knew almost everyone on campus. Except, apparently, this pink-haired stranger. Scratch that. His pink-haired _soulmate._ Mingi assumed that it must be a freshman, as he didn’t know anyone with pink hair either. Well, that didn’t mean much. Mingi kept to himself a little more than his roommate did. As Wooyoung always said, ‘the best thing to market is yourself!’ Mingi was pretty sure that wasn’t how that worked.

Mingi himself preferred graphic design. He liked to figure out how the colors and designs worked together to make a cohesive image, and thanks to his many years of color vision, he wasn’t bad at it. It meant a lot more solo time, though, and he wasn’t complaining. He was fine by himself. He always had been, and always would be.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Yunho stopped to take a few deep breaths. The campus was hillier than he remembered. He guessed this was one way to build up his strength again. Slinging his bag back over his shoulder, he resumed his trudge along the narrow path lined with color-changing trees.

Back at his new dorm room, he plopped down on his bed and turned to his roommate. “Sang. Sangie. Yeosang!” The other finally popped an earbud out. “What did you do to your hair?”

Yeosang flushed, making the birthmark near his eye stand out more. “It was supposed to be red.”

Yunho snorted. “It’s not.” He dodged a pillow with skill. “But it’s cute.”

“Fuck off.”

Yunho hopped off the bed and took the few steps over to his roommate’s desk. “Sangie, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

Yeosang turned back to him, and his eyes shone with what could have been unshed tears, but Yunho wasn’t going to assume. “Yun. It’s _pink._ ”

“Shit.” Yunho breathed out. It hit him then that Yeosang could tell what color his hair was. That could only mean one thing. He had met his soulmate. He pulled the smaller boy into a crushing hug, and wasn’t ashamed that a few tears leaked out. He had only known Yeosang for a few weeks, but he already felt like they were close friends.

Both were held back in school, Yeosang for his grades, and Yuhno for health issues, but it made for a quick bond. Yunho had always made friends quickly due to his open and warm personality, but keeping them was the hard part. When he was younger, no one wanted to friends with ‘the sick kid,’ and though he no longer looked sick on the outside, he still had to be careful of his heart, so no sports, to the chagrin of his teachers, who always wanted him to play basketball.

Yunho figured this level of excitement was fine for his heart. After all, wasn’t that what the surgeries had been for?

“So, Sangie, tell me all about them!”

“I, uh, I can’t…” Yeosang sighed. “I didn’t get a good look. We were being pushed around by everyone. He was leaving a classroom I was heading into.”

Yunho laughed and clapped his hands. “A mystery! I love a good mystery!” He also loved soulmates. He had long ago resigned himself to the fact that he probably didn’t have a soulmate. There were rumors, legends really, that a soul could be born whole, but the body wouldn’t be able to handle it. Yunho was _pretty_ sure that’s what happened to him. Why else would he have always been able to seen in color? Nothing else made sense.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t live vicariously through others. He fully planned to be that creepy roommate that was too involved in this new relationship. He rubbed his hands together.

“Sangie, I have a feeling that things are about to get verrrry interesting.”


	2. In Which It Hurts When You Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's okay Yeosang, I have pink hair too...
> 
> Sorry for all the POV changes, I'm feeling very bouncy today. Hope you can keep up!

A week had passed since Wooyoung had bumped into his soulmate. Mingi had grudgingly agreed to cut into his personal time to help his roommate scout out the class after his lecture. He might as well put his color vision to some use, he reasoned. He leaned against the wall as an increasing number of freshman began to pool in the hallway _. Black, brown, black, black, blonde, brown, black, ooh, green, interesting choice._ No one with pink hair.

He groaned. Wooyoung had better be prepared to repay him for this. He could be playing that new game that he just downloaded right now. Mingi drummed his fingers on the brick behind him as he continued to scan the growing crowd.

There!

Mingi caught a flash of pink. He pushed himself away from the wall and began weaving his way through his underclassmen. His height was an advantage at this, as he was able to keep his eyes locked on the bubblegum hair the whole time.

“Yo, Pinky!” Mingi called out, his deep voice resonating. The stranger’s head shot up, eyes wide. Mingi grinned. This had to be him. Their eyes met, and the shorter stranger began to slowly back up. That wasn’t an uncommon response when Mingi shouted at someone, even though he would never hurt a fly. Unless that fly was named Wooyoung.

“Wait! I have a weird question.” Mingi tried to soften his tone slightly, aware that the situation was not at all normal. The pink-haired boy blinked nervously, but stayed put. Mingi took that as a cue to continue. “Did you, uh… Did you start seeing colors recently? Like last week?”

The boy’s eyes grew impossibly wider as Mingi talked, looking like a deer caught in headlights. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before squeaking out, “Are you…?”

Mingi guffawed. “God no!” He cleared his throat. “Nothing personal. I was hired to find you.”

“Hired?”

“Yeah. Chicken and beer is the going rate.” Mingi winked with a grin. He held up a single finger to the boy and whipped his phone out of his pocket.

**(3:17pm) from Mingifresh**

bruh. found him. see you outside the door

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

Wooyoung took a deep breath before he set foot through the classroom door. His future was out there. And if Mingi was wrong, well, he would feel Wooyoung’s wrath. One more breath. It was now or never. He pushed open the door and started to look for his obnoxiously tall friend.

As expected, Mingi was not hard to find. He had moved to the side of the hall again, this time taking his new friend(?) with him. Wooyoung could only see the back of his pink-dyed head, but it definitely looked familiar. Mingi caught sight of his roommate and waved, his eyes crinkling up like crescent moons. Nothing Wooyoung could have done would have braced him for what he saw when his companion turned to face him.

Wooyoung was greeted by a small heart-shaped face with perfect soft features, wide-set eyes, a sloping nose, and small full mouth nearly the same shade as his hair. It was clear he wasn’t wearing any makeup, but his eyes still looked huge, and he had a few strawberry-colored splotches near his left temple. In short, he was gorgeous. Wooyoung thanked any deity that would listen that they had gifted him with this perfection of a soulmate.

Wooyoung pulled one side of his mouth into a grin, running a hand through his bleached hair. “Hey, did it hurt? When you fell-“

“I swear to god, if you tell me I’m an angel, I will kickflip the shit out of you.”

Wooyoung blinked once, twice, three times. Mingi tried to figure out the physics of that statement.

“Uh, no,” Wooyoung stuttered. “I was gonna… Well shit, this doesn’t work so well now. Fuck it. Don’t interrupt me this time.” He took a deep breath. “Did it hurt when you fell from the vending machine, cuz you’re a whole ass snack. Hi, I’m Wooyoung.”

It was the other’s turn to stand in shocked silence, a faint blush staining his cheeks. “Y-Yeosang. I think-. Damn it, I think that worked.”

Wooyoung laughed. “Of course it did. You’re my soulmate.”

Yeosang groaned. “I was so afraid of that.”

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

Mingi started to make his way back to their dorm room. He had successfully played wingman, and now it was time to plant himself in front of his computer and zone out for a few hours. He had no more classes this afternoon. It was Mingi time. The best time.

He had made it half way back when he needed to cross the quad. It was so much faster to cut through than it was to go around. He zigzagged a path around groups of students eating, studying, and relaxing. He almost tripped on one who seemed to be fast asleep. He wasn’t expecting his legs to be that long. Mingi took a look back up at the face of the peaceful coed, snoozing with a soft smile on his face. Mingi found himself smiling back. _He must have a lucky soulmate._ He was feeling particularly mushy today. Maybe it was a good idea to spend some time away from Wooyoung for a little while.

With no more distractions, he finished his trek to the dorm, waving a small hello to the RA at the desk. She was one that Mingi knew from last year, quiet, but nice. When he got to the room, he flopped on the bed, pulling his laptop off the desk with him. It was time to lose himself in mindless videos.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

Yeosang was, for lack of a better word, shook. His soulmate – that word was new and would take some getting used to – was bold, and loud, and charming, and so attractive. Yeosang must have done something right in a past life to deserve this. Everyone knows he wasn’t doing much right in this one. He had made a career out of getting detention, skipped class enough to be forced to graduate a year late, and who really cared about those no skateboarding signs anyways? University life wasn’t off to much of a different start, if today was any indication. He had never gone into class after meeting Wooyoung.

They would have been together still if Wooyoung hadn’t had to leave to pick up his roommate’s bribe. Yeosang supposed he didn’t mind too much. He had a lot to think about, a lot to talk to Yunho about, and to be fair, he and Wooyoung had the rest of their lives to get to know each other. _Wow. That’s an intense thought._ He wasn’t as scared of it as he thought he would be, though.

Yunho turned to face him as soon as he entered the room. One look up and down, and then he said, “Tell me all about them.”

Yeosang groaned loudly. “Is it that obvious?” Yunho nodded sagely. “Ugh, shut it, whole-soul. You’ll never know how good this feels. Besides, he’s just so…”

Yunho picked up after Yeosang trailed off. “He? How do we feel about this?”

Yeosang shot him a side-eyed glare from under his pink fringe. “Um, have you met me? Of course it’s a guy. No girl here could handle all this.”

“Clearly.” Yunho did his best not to let his mask slip. For the first time ever, he wondered what it would be like to have a soulmate. He was confused by this strange desire, as it had never been important to him before. But ever since his nap in the quad, something felt _off._ He couldn’t put his finger on what, but it almost felt like he was missing someone.

He shook it off. “Let me see him. I wanna know what he looks like.”

“I – I don’t have any pictures.”

“Then you better get some.”

Yeosang sighed. If he knew anything about Yunho, it was that this was not going to be dropped any time soon. Fortunately, Wooyoung had had the foresight to add his number to Yeosang’s phone before they parted that day, so at least he had a way to get a picture. Yeosang knew he was going to regret this.

**(7:49pm) from Bubblegum Prince**

hey. I need a pic of u

**(7:52pm) from Youngie**

oho. y so? sounds naughty…

**(7:52pm) from Bubblegum Prince**

ew perv. nvm

my roomie wants to see what u look like

**(7:53pm) from Youngie**

lmao 1 sec

**(7:57pm) from Youngie**

[IMG attached]

Yeosang turned his phone to Yunho after opening the picture. Wooyoung was giving a V to the camera with a wink that crinkled one of his eyes. Yeosang went soft again. He stealthily set that as the contact photo. Yunho watched the whole time.

“Our turn!” The tall boy told his roommate, taking the phone from his hand and opening the camera app.

**(8:10pm) from Bubblegum Prince**

[IMG attached]

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

Wooyoung was assaulted. He felt very attacked by the beautiful face that now existed on his screen, even if it looked slightly annoyed. There was another person in the photo, Yeosang’s roommate, he assumed, though he didn’t really care.

Mingi had finally peeled himself off the bed to use the bathroom a few minutes ago, and as he passed by, he happened to glance at Wooyoung’s phone. “Oh! It’s quad guy!”


	3. In Which We Get Shwasted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can we just talk about Treasure 3 for a minute???!!!! I'm in hecking love!
> 
> Illusion did my bb Yun dirty though. But he looked so happy performing it! Ahhh!
> 
> Scream at me in the comments, I'll scream back!

Mingi’s predictions quickly proved to be correct. The new soulmates were fast attached at the hip, despite the fact that they were in different years, different majors, and different dorms. He left the couple to themselves as much as possible (not easy when they were snuggling in his dorm room), using the excuse that he was letting them get to know each other alone. Truth be told, he was hoping that time and distance would calm the pangs of jealousy that he felt when he saw the two together.

Maybe it was time to find someone of his own. Not for keeps, but for now. Maybe someone for whom things hadn’t worked out with their soulmate. He scoffed at his own thoughts. He might as well be looking for a unicorn. It wasn’t like he had never dated before. A few kisses here, stolen moments there. Nothing ever lasted. There was no point to it if you weren’t soulmates. It was just another time-sink.

For probably the first time ever, Mingi was glad when his two favorite upperclassmen invited him to their homecoming party. He needed a distraction. Actually doing his schoolwork was only good for so long. Seonghwa and Hongjoong would have a way to take his mind off of everything, even if it wasn’t the most constructive. It usually wasn’t. The seniors shared a house off-campus with a few other students, making it a premier party location. Suffice to say, it got lit.

Mingi had spent the day of the party lying in bed on his phone. He only stopped when a pair of pants hit him in the face. He rolled over to find what appeared to be Wooyoung’s entire wardrobe on the floor. His roommate was near meltdown mode.

“Nothing is good enough!” Wooyoung shouted. He flopped down on a pile of clothes.

Mingi rolled his eyes. “Dude, it’s just the hyungs. They don’t care what you look like.” He gestured to his own sweats.

Wooyoung glared at him. “Don’t think I’m letting you leave the room like that. You’re not getting off that easy.” Mingi grimaced. Of course not.

It took another half hour before Wooyoung settled on an outfit for himself, an eggplant satin button-down tucked into some very ripped black jeans. He then turned his attention to Mingi’s sad state of being. After much moaning and groaning on the taller boy’s part, Wooyoung finally got him to agree on a black tee shirt under a loose white short-sleeve button down, fully open, apparently so Mingi could breathe. He finished it with pale blue, very worn-in jeans that Wooyoung assured him made his ass look phenomenal. All he really cared about was that they were comfy.

After another small fight, that Mingi also lost, Wooyoung was allowed to do hair and makeup. Mingi insisted on simple. He let his roommate smudge some dark eyeliner onto his lids, and may have tucked the tinted lip balm in his pocket for later. It tasted like strawberries. His usual waves were tamed into a swooping fall over his forehead, and Mingi had to admit, he looked _good._ Like, he’d fuck him.

Wooyoung, of course, looked striking as always. His hair was completely swept back from his face, slightly stiff from product, but still soft to the touch. His eyes were smoky, and his smirk was just a hint darker than usual. This was his element, and he shone. Yeosang wouldn’t know what hit him.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Yeosang felt like he had been hit in the gut with a baseball bat. How did he snag the sexiest soulmate ever? He had half a mind to turn right back around and drag Wooyoung away from the party. No one else needed to see him looking like that. But Wooyoung wanted to introduce him to his friends, so Yeosang had to stay, no matter how underdressed he felt. He had just thrown on an oversized baby blue sweater, tucking the front into his jeans. They weren’t even that great of jeans, with rips and frays all over.

But Wooyoung still swept him into his arms, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. “Babe, you look great. I could eat you up.”

Yeosang flushed and lightly punched him in the arm. “Can we just go in already? You said Mingi’s already inside, and look, Yunho doesn’t want any part of this.” Wooyoung looked, but the fact that Yunho had his phone out and was snapping pictures of the couple seemed to betray that statement.

Wooyoung rolled his eyes. “Come on, creepo. Let’s get shwasted.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

It did not take long for Yunho to get, as so eloquently put, shwasted. His alcohol tolerance was surprisingly low for someone of his size, but that made sense, considering his lack of experience with it. His bubbly personality, amplified when drunk, made him a social butterfly, and he had soon met most of the people at the party. The mysterious roommate of Wooyoung had managed to avoid him thus far, though.

“Joooooong,” Yunho called out to his new friend. “You have a soulmate, and that’s fucking rad, man.” Hongjoong laughed, a high-pitched sound that filled the empty spaces in the room. “No, I mean it! Like, for two people to be destined for each other, and to find each other no matter what. It’s fucking beautiful.” His eyes shone in the dim light.

A slim hand switched out his empty cup for one filled with water. “And you’re cut off for now, buddy.” Hongjoong’s soulmate, Seonghwa, slid down on the couch opposite Yunho, putting his arm around his boyfriend. “I can’t handle the waxing poetic.”

“You’re the boss, boss.” Yunho saluted with the hand holding the cup, sloshing most of the contents onto his pants. He had long since shed his green canvas jacket, leaving him in just a white tee shirt and jeans, but the simple combo was eye-catching with his height.

“Yun, leave them on!” Yeosang called across the room. He had looked up from Wooyoung’s neck just in time to see his roommate reach for his belt.

The taller boy pouted briefly. “But they’re wet!” He wiped uselessly at his pants leg.

“Ah ah, no stripping.” Hongjoong warned with a wag of his finger.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“Who ordered the stripper?” Mingi seemed to have chosen an interesting time to return from the kitchen with a fresh drink. “I got some singles.”

Seonghwa groaned. “Mingi, no.”

“Mingi, yes!”

“Mingi, maybe?” A third voice joined them. Both Seonghwa and Mingi turned to look at the new participant, who was in the middle of fiddling with his belt buckle. Mingi wasn’t sure if it was coming on or off, and to be fair, the wearer didn’t seem sure either.

“Yunho, sit down. I’m getting you more water.” Seonghwa pushed him gently into a seated position, then left the room again.

Mingi took that chance to really look at Yunho. Or Quad Guy. Yeosang’s roommate, who he had never actually met. He had realized when he entered the room that they were close to the same height, which was unusual. But now he could see that Yunho was built more muscularly that himself, filling out his tee significantly better. His hair was unstyled, falling in slightly sweaty waves over his forehead. The apples of his cheeks were round, and flushed from drinking. He raked a large hand through his hair, pushing it back, finally having given up on his belt.

He looked up at Mingi suddenly, and Mingi thought he was going to get chewed out for staring.

“Sit. You’re too tall.” Mingi barely held in a laugh, but obliged. Several seconds passed, Yunho staring straight at him. “I’m not a stripper.”

Mingi snorted. “It wouldn’t be a bad thing if you were.”

“Okay, but I’m not.” Yunho looked down at himself for what might have been the first time. “I’m just kinda dumb.”

Mingi threw his head back and laughed. “It’s okay bro. Me too.”


	4. In Which We're Thirsty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to my beautiful mess! Enjoy your stay!
> 
> Have some backstory!

Yeosang groaned as he pulled himself into an upright position. He was going to have to up his game if he was going to keep up with Wooyoung. That boy went _hard._ He rubbed at his face, the sleeves of his sweater, still on from the night before, pooling past his fingertips. Throwing his feet over the edge of the dorm bed, he shuffled his way over to the bathroom.

Yeosang stopped short in the door to the smaller room. His roommate was curled up with a blanket and pillow on the floor between the toilet and the shower. “Yun,” he croaked. “I can’t deal with your hungover bullshit. I will literally piss on you if you do not move.” A lazy kick to the taller boy’s rear had him crawling for the door.

Yunho had his head stuck in the neck hole of his tee shirt when Yeosang returned. He yanked hard and it finally came loose, freeing his head. He turned to Yeosang, whining. “I met Mingi. I’m pretty sure he thinks I’m a stripper.”

Yeosang raised his eyebrows. “Now why would he think that?” He pointedly scanned his eyes over Yunho’s half-naked frame. To be perfectly honest, it was a rare sight. There were very few people his roommate was comfortable being shirtless around. Yeosang tried not to let his eyes linger on the scars marking Yunho’s chest, one large pink line down the center of his chest, and two shorter lines running sideways on his right pectoral muscle. They were all that were left of his history with heart disease, as his doctor had pronounced him perfectly healthy years ago. His parents were scared, though, and kept him sheltered, so Yunho always felt that his scars were something that made him less than perfect.

Yeosang threw a new shirt at his roommate. “Get dressed, you thot. I’m not paying you.”

Yunho gasped in faked indignation. “You sir, are lucky I don’t care what people think about me.”

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

Yunho kept his carefree attitude as they made their way down to the dining hall, where they were already serving lunch. Due to his height and good looks, he was popular with many on campus, and knew it. Yunho wasn’t afraid to flirt, so he shot quite a few winks and smiles, to male and female admirers alike. More than one moved their belongings to make space for him to sit at their table, but he was following his roommate.

Yeosang quickly found Wooyoung, sliding into the seat next to him before the bleach blonde noticed. Wooyoung squealed and pulled him into a fierce hug. Yunho decided that sitting was better than standing, so he set his food on the table and slid in on the other side of Yeosang, placing him across from… Mingi. Well this was awkward.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Mingi barely glanced up from his phone. Jongho had his location on, and Mingi was tracking through campus. It had been so long since he had seen his best friend, and he was looking forward to spending the rest of the weekend with him. Jongho had decided on trade school instead of traditional university, preferring to work with his hands. He was training to be a carpenter, and would probably make a better living than the rest of them, simply out of spite. That was the way he was.

The little dot was practically right on top of them now. Mingi raised his head to look around. Yunho was picking at his food. “Oof!” The wind was knocked from Mingi’s lungs by a crushing hug. A small but thickly built boy had latched himself onto him.

“Hyung!” Jongho yelled. He settled in on the seat next to him, not releasing his grip. “I’m here to help you with your little _problem._ ” Mingi glanced around the table, but no one seemed to be paying attention. “We gonna get your soul some lovin’, but you gotta help me out, too.”

Mingi must have looked confused (a normal state, really), because suddenly a phone was thrust in his face. A photo of a boy with dyed green hair and dimples was displayed on screen. Wait, was that a dating app? Oh, Jongho…

“Wanna smash.” Jongho said in way of explanation. “He goes here, and we matched, but I think he’s shy, so I gotta get things moving.” He grabbed an apple off Yunho’s tray.

“Jongho, that’s not yours!” Mingi tried to reel him in.

“No one can resist these guns.” Jongho grabbed the apple at its stem and base with both hands and deftly split it in half.

Yunho’s eyes went wide. “I was gonna eat that.”

Jongho handed him the two halves. “Now you can share.”

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

Yunho crunched on his apple half while he absent-mindedly eavesdropped on conversations around him. A bad habit, he knew, but a fun one. He got the best tea that way. He kept being drawn back to Mingi and Jongho. They were back on the subject of Mingi’s “problem,” and Yunho knew he should tune out, but he just couldn’t make himself.

“So no luck on the soulmate front?” Jongho asked. Mingi shook his head sadly. Yunho felt bad for him. It seemed like he really wanted one. “I’ll help you look. Remember, I’m the obnoxious one. I’ll just bother it out of whoever it is.”

“What if they’re not here? What if I never find them again?” Mingi asked, almost seeming in pain. “How could I go my whole life knowing they’re out there, but never knowing them?”

Yunho really wished he had tuned out. This was not his business, at all. He wasn’t really sure what they were talking about exactly, but he’d also never felt like a part of his soul was missing.

Yunho had always known as a child that he was special. He shouldn’t be alive, they said. The first surgery to repair the hole in his heart shouldn’t have failed, and he shouldn’t have made it to the hospital in time for the second surgery. But he knew why it failed. The strain of having a complete soul was just too much for a young heart. He knew he would never need to worry about meeting his soulmate, because his world was already bright.

But lately, he was beginning to wonder if it was possible for it to get even brighter. Being surrounded by all these happy soulmates, something felt off. Eh, whatever. He was thinking too much. He finished the first apple half and started on the second.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

Jongho nodded at Mingi. “So we need to be detectives. We need to find someone who can see in color.” He held up one finger. “Doesn’t have a soulmate around.” A second finger. “And crossed paths with you in the past.” A third finger. He waved his hand in front of Mingi. “What’s your first color memory?”

“Getting my dog, Byul. I was three. It’s my first memory at all.”

Jongho gasped. “I remember Byul! She always looked white to me. What color was she?”

Mingi rolled his eyes. “She _was_ white. Hae is gold. Moron.”

“Oh yeah…” Jongho shrugged. “Anyway, that means you met them before you were three. That’s tricky. But your family never traveled, right?”

“Nope, too broke back then.”

“Easier.” Something green and dimply caught his attention. “We’ll find them. But until then, bitches be thirsty.” He grabbed Yeosang’s apple this time. Standing up, he winked at Mingi. “It’s me. I’m bitches.”

With that, he took off in the direction of his prey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, sorry I made Jongho thirsty AF. It just be like that.
> 
> Scream at me in the comments!
> 
> I'm considering making a writing twt account, because I don't have enough stupid twt accts. (personal, work, stan (dead))  
> What do you think?


	5. In Which Was He Being Kidnapped?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to update today because my Wave and Illusion albums came today and I am shooketh. SHOO KETH.
> 
> So, it's kinda short, but I ended it where I wanted to.
> 
> You know the drill. Read and scream.

San hugged his books closer to himself. Usually a very confident individual, today he felt vulnerable, almost like he was being hunted. But that was ridiculous, he told himself. Literally no one would be after him. Even with green hair, he was all but invisible. Maybe it wasn’t green, he didn’t know. He was still waiting for his soulmate. He rolled his neck on his shoulders to work out some of the tension and looked around himself.

He locked eyes with someone he had never seen before, a stocky boy with a sweep of brown hair over his forehead. The boy grinned. _Oh._ There was that feeling again. San started walking in the opposite direction.

“Wait!” The boy called out, managing to get a hand on San’s bag, effectively stopping him. “Why are you ignoring me?”

San looked back at him in confusion. “I don’t know you. And that’s _my_ bag.” He shifted his gaze back and forth from the hand stretching out to him to the face it was connected to. Yeah, he definitely didn’t know this kid.

He removed his hand from the bag, holding it out for a handshake. “I’m Jongho.” San stared at the hand for a few seconds, debating whether to take it, or to use this chance to run. In the end, he decided on the polite option, hesitantly linking hands. “We matched on Fumble last week.” San’s eyes went wide.

“Are you some kind of fucking stalker?” He yelled, snatching his hand back. “This is insane!”

Jongho sighed. “Bold of you to assume I’m that dedicated.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Nah man, I just happened to be on campus visiting my gay best friend that I love in a totally no homo bro way,” San blinked a few times, he was barely following, “and I saw you pass by. I couldn’t miss my chance in person.”

San disagreed. He wouldn’t have minded a missed chance at this point. And why did this kid have an apple in his hand? Why was his vision so… warm? The tone had changed, but it wasn’t what everyone described colors as. It was weird. This whole thing was weird.

“Do you wanna sit and talk?” Jongho asked.

“No, I want to go to bed.”

“Kinky.”

“Shut the fuck up.” San was cranky when he was confused.

Jongho ran his hand through his hair again, San’s eyes following the motion. “Okay, listen. You’re probably really confused. I am too. I really thought this was just gonna be another hit it and quit it.” San rolled his eyes. This first impression was not getting better. “But I think maybe we should actually get to know each other, y’know, take it slow. What with the whole soulmate thing and all…”

“What on earth are you talking about?” San was so frustrated. This kid made no sense! He would know if he had a soulmate.

Jongho had pulled out his phone and was furiously texting. He looked up, a glint in his eye. “Take me to the North dorm.”

San sighed, resigned to his fate. “You’re just lucky that’s actually where I was going.”

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

When Jongho and his new friend(?) reached the dorm, Mingi immediately pointed at the newcomer’s hair. “What color?”

“Green.” Jongho answered.

Mingi pointed down to the boy’s jacket. “And this?”

“Like, a dark red?”

Mingi scooped his younger friend into his arms and spun him around, earning a confused look from the RA at the desk. “It finally happened! Your days of thottery are over!” He turned to the slight green-haired boy. “I am so sorry that you’re stuck with this one. I mean, he’s really not all bad, if you like brute strength.”

“I’m sorry, I’m confused.” San spoke up. “I just want to go to my room…”

“Hi Sorry and Confused, I’m Yunho.”

Wooyoung giggled. “Not gonna happen yet. You’re a part of the crew now.”

Yeosang took pity on the exasperated expression on San’s face. “Don’t worry, I was there recently. It’s hard when your soulmate is an idiot, and these are his dumbass friends. But it gets better.”

San realized that they were not, in fact, going to his room. They were headed to a totally different room. Was he being kidnapped? Wait. Didn’t Jongho say he didn’t even go here? What was going on?

All six boys piled into a small dorm room, and San was relieved that they let him sit closest to the door. “Okay, first off, why are you convinced you’re my soulmate?” He asked Jongho.

“Because of the colors.” Jongho answered, as if that was the most reasonable thing ever. And it would have been, if San could see colors, which he told them all.

“Woo, call Seonghwa, put him on speaker.” He quickly did as Mingi asked.

“This better be important, you’re interrupting vital soulmate… stuff.” Seonghwa answered.

“Seong-hyung, I can see colors!” Jongho yelled. “But the person I think is my soulmate can’t.”

They related the entire story to the eldest over the next few minutes, then sat in silence as he conferred with Hongjoong.

“Is he there?” Seonghwa asked.

“I’m here.” San replied timidly.

“What color is Mingi’s hair?”

“The tall one? It’s really dark, but I think it’s blue.”

“Okay, there’s a stack of soda cans on Mingi’s desk,” (“How does he know that?” Mingi whispered.) “What color are they?”

“I- I can’t tell.”

“Moving on. Does Yeosang have his skateboard?”

“Yeah, it looks yellow.”

“Mhm.”

“I knew it!” Hongjoong called through the speaker.

“WHAT?” They all yelled.

“San,” Seonghwa explained, “you’re colorblind.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why yes, I do like to make my characters suffer, why do you ask?
> 
> Did anyone see it coming? I'm having too much fun with this one.


	6. In Which We Get The Melon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some very mild angst. No worries, though, I write happy.
> 
> Yunho is literally me, emotionally. So, hello. I am: Exposed.

Not for the first time, Yunho felt left out. Through no fault of the others, he felt like his differences pushed him to the outside of the friend group. Wooyoung had Yeosang. Hongjoong had Seonghwa. Jongho had just found San, whether the new boy liked it or not. And Mingi had someone, out there somewhere, waiting for him. Yunho felt alone, in that crowded room, he was by himself.

Yunho leaned his head against the wall, closing his eyes. The chatter of his friends dimmed to a low hum as he let his thoughts take over. Doubt crept in like a vine at the corner of his mind, eating away at the carefully constructed walls he had built in his subconscious. Was he needed in this group? Were they just tolerating him until they could find a replacement? What would he do if another group of friends left him behind?

A soft thud against his chest brought him out of his spiraling thoughts. A small pillow lay next to him, obviously the projectile of choice. Yunho met Mingi’s gaze across the small room, the other’s head slightly quirked to the side, his eyebrows furrowed.

“You good?” Mingi mouthed. Yunho nodded, glancing around the room. No one else seemed to have noticed his moment, and that was fine by him. He didn’t want people worrying about him anymore than they already did about his heart.

“Like I was saying!” Jongho yelled above the chitchat. “San, if I can break open a fruit with just my body, you’ll go out with me?”

San dragged his hand down his face, catching his lip dramatically and letting out a sigh. “Since you’re not going to let this go, yes. But I get to name the fruit.” He looked the younger boy up and down, eyeing his frame. “A melon.”

Wooyoung laughed. “RIP. That’s cruel, man.”

Yeosang shook his head. “Ouch. You could have just said no.”

Jongho never broke eye contact with San. “Mingi. Get the melon.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

“WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK, BRO?” San’s shout could be heard loud and clear from outside the bathroom, and they were sure that it could have been heard outside the dorm as well.

Jongho was first to exit the bathroom, grinning widely, thighs wet, holding a crushed honeydew melon in one hand. “Who wants some?”

San braced himself against the door frame. “He literally just… With his thighs… I mean… Smoosh. That was… Holy shit.”

Yeosang snickered. “Make sure that doesn’t end up being your face.” Wooyoung gasped and pinched his side.

“Babe! We just met him, don’t scare him off!”

“Right, right, that’s Jongho’s job.”

Jongho, still grinning, shook his head. “He can’t leave yet. He owes me a date.”

San groaned. What had he gotten himself into? His “soulmate,” if he even believed that, was insane. And all those fairy tales about the world bursting into color? Bull. It barely changed at all, because apparently, San wasn’t even lucky enough to get that. Busted vision, busted soulmate, busted dreams, and a piece of busted melon being shoved in his face. “Jongho, if I eat that, will you let me be?”

Jongho winked at him. “I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth, soulmate. You’re stuck with me.”

More than anything else, San hated the shiver of excitement that went through his spine hearing that. Busted, traitorous body.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

San was the first to leave the dorm room, after giving Jongho his number. Jongho tested it immediately, just to make sure it wasn’t a fake. It was real. Wooyoung and Yeosang left soon after, something about a hot date. To be fair, they called anytime they were together a “hot date.” Without his roommate, Yunho started to feel awkward, so he said his goodbyes as well, leaving Jongho and Mingi alone in the room. Mingi was sitting sideways on his bed, scrolling through his feed. Jongho sighed as he flopped down next to him, the shorter boy taking up much less room.

“Mom, I love him.” He gushed.

Mingi pushed him. “Not your mom, and he hates you.”

“No, he likes me, I just haven’t convinced him yet. He can’t hate me, I pulled out the show-stopper.” Jongho slapped the inside of his thigh.

“ _I_ hate you.” Mingi groaned.

“You loooooove me.” Jongho cooed, latching onto his tall friend in a hug. Mingi struggled weakly, but he couldn’t deny it. Jongho grew on you, like a fungus.

“Let’s talk about something else.” Mingi tried to divert.

Jongho laughed. “Okay, tell me about Tall Boy. I knew about Wooyoung, I knew about his soulmate, and of course I know the hyungs. But you never mentioned Yunho.”

Mingi was confused. Why was Jongho so interested in Yeosang’s roommate? “Uh, I mean, I just met him recently. Like, officially, last night. But we had seen each other through Woo and Sang’s video chats, and I almost tripped on him in the quad once.”

“So you paid attention to him?” Jongho questioned.

“I mean, he’s hard to miss.”

“Mingi, that’s not what I’m asking.” Jongho released Mingi, sensing that he needed some space to process.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Mingi tried to deflect, but Jongho gave him a Look from under his eyebrows and Mingi could feel the heat creeping up the back of his neck. “Okay fine!”

Jongho leaned back with his arms crossed over his chest, a smug smile in place. He waited for Mingi to continue.

“He’s like the nicest person ever, and he’s even taller than me, and he’s so happy all the time, and he’s just gorgeous, and he’s so out of my league, and I kind of accused him of being a stripper, and I-“

“Wait, wait, go back, you did what?” Jongho interrupted.

Mingi groaned, throwing his head back. “It was at the party, he was drunk and trying to take his pants off. And I, well, I’m me, and I’m stupid!” Thinking about it brought back imagery to Mingi’s mind, of broad shoulders leading to a thin waist, hands fumbling at the waistband of dark jeans. His cheeks flushed and he shook his head as if he could shake the images loose.

“Oh. My. God.” Jongho laughed. It wasn’t a laugh that Mingi particularly liked, because nothing good ever came after it. “You like him. You actually like him!”

“It doesn’t matter. He’s not my soulmate.” Mingi mumbled.

“Leave it to Jongho.” Ugh. He was speaking about himself in third-person. This definitely wasn’t good. Jongho had his phone out, checking various social medias. He whistled softly. “This guy has been everywhere. Like, he’s lived all over. Oh wait, it’s for doctors. Aww, he does volunteer work for that heart foundation. So sweet. Now where’s the dirt?” Jongho kept scrolling. And scrolling. “Wow, there’s nothing. He’s clean.”

Mingi shook his head at the boy. “I really hate you, you know that? Can’t anyone have any privacy?”

“Nope.” Jongho’s eyes widened. “Hey, isn’t this the children’s hospital back home?” He turned his phone around to show Mingi a picture. Yunho was standing in front of the large building with a huge cart of stuffed animals and toys. The caption read, ‘ _I wouldn’t be here without you. You made my heart and soul whole. Thank you, staff of Atiny Children’s Hospital!’_

Mingi nodded. “Yeah, I was born there.”

Jongho grunted. “I was born in a bathtub. Take your silver spoon and shove it.” Mingi rolled his eyes and ignored his friend. “You know, this was posted around your birthday.” He kept scrolling, faster. “It looks like he goes every year around that time. Inch resting.”

Mingi didn’t follow the younger boy’s train of thought. It was dangerous to do so, too easy to go off the rails. But he couldn’t help to wonder, what was Yunho’s connection to his hometown? When was he there? And why? And why did Mingi feel like it was his business?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this was a weird one. This is the first chapter I've written without ATEEZ playing in the background, so it felt kinda disembodied.
> 
> Totally random fact: today I got earrings in holes that haven't been used in 13 years! *crickets*


	7. In Which It's Hot In Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update!  
> Wizards Unite is out, and I'm a giant nerd...

By the end of the week, Mingi was determined to put his intrusive thoughts about Yunho out of his head. Assignments were starting to pile in, and Mingi needed what little brain space he had. He couldn’t waste precious neurons focusing on Yunho’s history.

He was relieved on Friday afternoon when Wooyoung decided to head to Yeosang’s room instead of the other way around. His English lit paper was due soon, and it was not going to write itself. Although come to think of it, Wooyoung was in the same class. Mingi shrugged. Priorities.

He had gotten one page written out of five when he noticed that his monitor had gone to its screensaver. Only then did he realize that he had been daydreaming for several minutes. Blushing, he shook his mouse. He was doing so well placing the characters in the assigned novel into types, but seemed to have forgotten that Yunho wasn’t one of those characters, ,and life isn’t fiction. He leaned back in his chair, lifting the front legs off the ground. Maybe it was time to take a break.

_Thud._

Not a knock, but a thudding at his dorm door caught Mingi’s attention. He tried to check through the peephole, but all he saw was a thumb.

Sighing, he opened the door. “Wooyoung’s not here.” He blinked.

“Yes he is!” Wooyoung cried, too happy to be entirely sober. He was leaning on Yeosang, who didn’t seem to mind entirely, by the looks of the hand up the back of Wooyoung’s shirt. Behind them were a grinning Jongho, a scowling San, a giggling Hongjoong and a cautious Seonghwa, and Yunho. Just being Yunho.

Mingi gulped. “Come on, guys. We’re not all gonna fit in here!”

“Time to get cozy.” Jongho said, already shouldering his way past his friend.

Hongjoong followed, leading his boyfriend by the hand. “I call Seonghwa’s lap!”

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

Yunho watched in silence as Jongho pulled bottle after bottle out of his bag. Was that bag bigger on the inside? How much did that cost? And wasn’t Jongho underage? Yunho decided it was best not to ask too many questions, for the sake of plausible deniability.

Except maybe about the bag itself. What magic was that?

He was broken from his thoughts when Mingi passed him a cup of something. He wasn’t sure exactly what was in it, but he was pretty sure it was safe. He doubted they were trying to kill him. Mingi’s fingers brushed against his own, and they were oh so warm. Yunho’s heart skipped a beat. He made a note to bring that up with his cardiologist.

As the two with the longest legs, Yunho and Mingi had been assigned Mingi’s bed to sit on, while Wooyoung had graciously given his to Hoonjoong and Seonghwa. Yeosang was mixing drinks on the desk, while Wooyoung tried to break down San’s walls.

Yunho was three drinks in when it started to get warm in the room. He turned to the window to try to crank it open. It wouldn’t budge. After a few more failed attempts to get some fresh air, a slightly less intoxicated, but not far behind, Mingi noticed Yunho’s struggles.

“Let me.” Mingi offered. “There’s a catch.” He leaned over, and Yunho held his breath. Mingi was practically in his lap, and the palpitations were starting again. There was no way this was good for his health. Mingi reached an arm out to adjust the window, causing him to lean closer to Yunho. He took a deep breath in. That was a bad idea. Underneath the alcohol, Mingi smelled like coconut and mango, probably his shampoo, but it smelled good enough to eat. Yunho had to stop himself from leaning in to breathe it in more as Mingi pulled away.

Their eyes met as Mingi settled back on the bed, and Yunho noticed that Mingi’s cheeks were flushed pink. He decided that that was a very good color on him.

Sharp laughter from the floor broke their attention, and they both turned to see San holding his stomach, his eyes narrowed into crescents, deep dimples on either cheek.

Jongho raised his cup to the room. “Moms. I’m in love. And I’m keeping him.”

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

Yeosang kept the drinks coming deep into the night. Although Mingi had a high tolerance, he still ended up pretty drunk. He was a sappy drunk. He looked over his group of friends and smiled, a wide gummy smile. Hongjoong was curled up asleep in Seonghwa’s lap, like the small kitten that he was. San was finally letting Jongho touch him, the younger carding his fingers tenderly through green hair while San’s fingers picked at the hem of his sleeve. Wooyoung had pulled their makeshift bartender down into his lap to play a game on his old console. Neither were doing particularly well.

And next to Mingi, Yunho was sprawled like a starfish, arms and legs out wide. His cheeks were bright pink, and Mingi didn’t think he had ever seen anyone cuter. Yunho waved his arms, giggling. Every time he brushed against Mingi, which was often on the small bed, the contact burned, fire replaced by emptiness.

Mingi needed space. This was too much. And he needed another drink. He slid off the bed, ignoring Yunho’s whimper as he padded over to the desk. He poured a simple mix, tasting it. He scrunched up his face. That was stronger than Yeosang’s, but it would do. He took his drink back to the bed, where Yunho immediately latched on to him.

“Missed you.” The clingy starfish murmured. One arm slinked up to grab Mingi’s cup.

He laughed. “You didn’t miss me, you missed booze.”

Yunho shrugged, sitting up. “Why not both?” He took a large sip of Mingi’s concoction, shaking his head after swallowing. “It’s still hot in here.” He handed Mingi the cup back and untucked his shirt from the front of his jeans. As he made a move to lift it, Mingi put his hand on his arm, stilling his movement.

“Ah ah, no stripping right now, Yun.” Mingi said in a voice barely loud enough to hear.

“But I’m hot, why not?”

“Because,” Mingi glanced around the room at their friends, all lost in their own worlds. “I don’t know what I’ll do if you start.”

Yunho let his shirt fall. Then he grinned, and in one swift movement, whipped his shirt off over his head.

Mingi let his eyes fall from Yunho’s face, to his neck, collarbones, traced the pale pink scar down his breastbone that led straight to a lean set of abs. He was thin, but well-built. Mingi’s eyes snapped away, and without a word, he left the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please scream at me in the comments, I crave attention.


	8. In Which We Go Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG, 100 kudos on this, you all are amazing! And just about 800 hits! 
> 
> ILYSM, you don't even know!

Mingi slumped against the wall in the common room. What was he doing with his life? He was simultaneously too drunk and not drunk enough to deal with this. Yunho’s smirk as he defiantly lifted his shirt had _done things_ to him, and he was not sure how he felt about that. On the one hand, Yunho was gorgeous, Mingi felt himself falling into his eyes more than once already. On the other hand, Mingi feared it would crush him if he found out that his soulmate was someone else. On the third hand, who’s to say he would ever run into his soulmate again?

Wait. Third hand? Whose hand was that?

Mingi lifted tired eyes to meet the always sharp gaze of Seonghwa, holding out a hand to help his friend up. Mingi shook his head, wrapping his arms around his knees instead. Seonghwa shrugged and joined the taller boy on the floor.

“I hope you know what’s going on in your head better than the rest of us, because we have no clue.”

“Seonghwa-hyung, I think I like him.” Mingi whispered.

“Could’ve fooled me.” Seonghwa snorted. “You left him high and dry back there. Joongie is giving him cuddles right now, cuddles that _I_ could be getting, mind.”

Mingi let his head fall back against the wall with a thunk. He knew he needed to talk to Yunho. But talking was hard, and running was easy. But he couldn’t run from this forever. Especially since they were still in his room.

“Did he put his shirt back on at least?”

“Right after you left.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

Yunho kept his eyes down as the two reentered the room. He didn’t look back as Hoongjoong and Seonghwa walked him out the door to drop him at his dorm. He ignored Yeosang’s pleas to eat lunch with Wooyoung and him. He found a new patch of grass to nap on for the last bit of warm weather. Yunho could take a hint. And he was a nice enough guy that he wasn’t going to make Mingi change his routine to avoid him.

Admittedly, he was a little fuzzy on all the details of that night. Yeosang was heavy-handed with the alcohol, and Yunho’s tolerance was low. But he remembered enough. He still could smell Mingi’s shampoo if he tried hard enough. He could feel where Mingi’s thigh had pressed against his. And he remembered what it felt like to curl his body around the slightly younger boy’s. It had felt like fire creeping through his veins, and Yunho thought he knew how addiction started now. He craved that feeling again. For the sake of his heart, and his sanity, he needed to stay away. No matter how much Yunho’s heart screamed for him to be near Mingi, he had been clearly rejected. Yunho may be dumb, but he wasn’t stupid.

He managed to avoid the other for several weeks, long, lonely weeks. Yunho had other friends, sure, but they just seemed to fall short now. Not to mention, to avoid Mingi, he also had to avoid the rest of the group.

Now it was time for a break. He was going back to the children’s hospital where we had spent a good chunk of his childhood. He was down to twice yearly visits with his cardiologist, just to make sure everything stayed healthy. A trip out of town for a few days should be enough to clear his head. He just needed to not think about Mingi.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

As soon as he stepped off the bus, Jongho shot off a quick selfie to San, letting him know that they made it home safely. He and Mingi were back in their hometown for a long weekend, celebrating Jongho’s birthday. The youngest had been moping that he wouldn’t be spending the day with his soulmate, but now that they were home, he was practically vibrating with excitement. It had been months since either of them had seen their families.

The pair dropped their bags off at their respective homes, reminiscing about growing up together. Their parents still lived in the same houses, just a few doors down from the other. Hongjoong had grown up on the next street over. Those were simpler times.

Mingi was left by himself when Jongho took a video call from San. He decided to take a walk through the neighborhood, and found himself at his old favorite playground. Although there had been a few upgrades, it was mostly the same. Just, smaller now. Mingi took a seat on one of the swings, chuckling when he couldn’t bend his legs all the way. He pushed off the ground, swinging gently back and forth with his legs to the side to avoid scraping the dirt below him. He shivered slightly in the chill autumn air, noticing for the first time the change in seasons.

Looking around, he marveled at how you never really forget home. There was the comic shop, next to the convenience store. Department stores were stacked into a newer high-rise building that looked slightly out of place. A pet store and a bike shop flanked the park, and he could smell fried chicken from the restaurant down the street. And there was Yunho, walking quickly against the breeze.

Wait, what? Mingi did a double-take. Sure, the taller boy had been on his mind a lot, but seeing him places was new. In fact, lately there had been a distinct lack of Yunho. But he was sure of it. Under that long jacket was his Yun--. He stopped his train of thought. He had no claim to Yunho. He had blown it. Besides, Yunho was a strong independent man who didn’t need no, well, man.

But where Yunho was strong, Mingi was weak. He couldn’t stop himself from calling out.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

Yunho turned when he heard his name being called. He knew that voice, and it was the exact voice he was trying to get away from. But he had been caught, and he may be determined, but he had been brought up better than to be rude. He turned to face his fears.

If Yunho hadn’t just come from the cardiologist, he would be thinking about setting up an appointment. Just looking at Mingi made him feel like his heart was in a drum line. Rapid then slow, bass and snare, it couldn’t make up its mind. Mingi was sitting on a too small swing, his hair tousled by the wind, his cheeks pink from the cold. He looked both so small and overly large at the same time. Yunho wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh or cry.

And then Mingi was walking towards him, and Yunho wasn’t running, he was standing his ground, and the part of Yunho that knew what was happening was very proud, while the part that was in control was scared shitless.

Mingi spoke, and it was the three words that Yunho needed to hear. “I missed you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how much longer this is gonna be, I can probably wrap it up in a few more chapters, but then I'll miss you guys...
> 
> *cri*


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the end, folx.
> 
> My first finished chaptered work!

Yunho thought they must have looked ridiculous, two grown men on a swingset, and he supposed he felt a little ridiculous. Why couldn’t he stay strong in the face of Mingi? Weeks of successfully avoiding him, wasted.

“I didn’t expect to run into you here.” Mingi finally spoke after several minutes of silence.

“Really?” Yunho asked. “Because it looks like you’re camping out down the street from my doctor’s office.” Mingi followed the direction of Yunho’s hand with his eyes, landing on an offshoot of a well-known hospital in town.

“I mean, I guess I am, but I’m waiting for my dad to get out of work.” Mingi pointed to the same building. It didn’t take long for Yunho to put together the pieces. Dr. Song. Song Mingi. His cardiologist was Mingi’s father. The doctor he had been seeing since he was just an infant. He could see it now. They had the same kind eyes, Mingi’s just had less wrinkles.

Yunho laughed. “So much for my mini-vacation.”

Mingi shrugged out an apology. “I kinda live here. But since you’re here, wanna have dinner at my house? We’re celebrating Jongho’s birthday.”

Yunho flushed slightly. Eating dinner with his crush’s (oh god, did he really just call him that?) family, one of whom was his doctor. His doctor who he had just told about his heart palpitations. How could this possibly go wrong? He was at least thankful that he hadn’t named names during the appointment.

But he agreed. Mingi lit up with a wide smile, and Yunho felt his heart squeeze.

“Sweet! Let’s go meet up with Jongho. He should be done at the gym by now.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

Mingi regretted everything. He had almost forgotten how much his parents loved Jongho, doting on him like he was their own child. And now he had brought Yunho, the literal embodiment of sunshine into his home. His mother was enamored, fascinated that he was taller than Mingi, and had already pinched his cheeks to the point of redness by the time Mingi’s father got home. It was worse after that, because now everyone knew Yunho, and he became the second favorite son, pushing Mingi to third. And that was a hard position for an only child to be in.

Mingi watched as his family and Jongho shared stories with Yunho. He stayed quiet for the most part, watching as Yunho laughed at tales of Mingi’s awkward youth. He felt warm, probably from embarrassment, although he found that he wasn’t really all that bothered. That changed when his mother brought out the old photo album after Jongho went home.

“Mom, that’s enough!” Mingi nearly shouted. “We don’t want to bore Yunho.” He pleaded with his eyes at Yunho for understanding.

With a grin, Yunho betrayed him. “Oh, I’m not bored at all!” Mingi groaned and resigned himself to his fate.

It wasn’t long before his mother found the page in the album where toddler Mingi was naked and covered in finger paint streaks. “This was the day little Mingi declared that he was a rainbow. That was the first time we realized that he could see in color.”

Yunho looked up at Mingi, amusement swiftly changing to confusion. “Soulmate or whole-soul?” He asked softly. “I never realized. I should have.”

Mingi chuckled. “Soulmate, somewhere, I think. I don’t really know.” His mother shut the photo album quietly, standing up as her husband came into the room.

“Hey, there’s something else you kids have in common. The only kids I know of with color vision as little ones.”

”Dad, what are you talking about?”

Yunho coughed. “I’ve always been able to see in color, too. But I’m pretty sure I don’t have a soulmate. That’s why I was sick. My body couldn’t handle having a whole soul.”

Mingi’s dad shook his head. “You kids and your crazy theories. Anways, it’s great seeing the two of you together again. It’s been years.”

Mingi sighed. “Dad. _What_ are you talking about?”

“Of course you don’t remember. You were too little. Your mom used to bring you down to the clinic all the time, I worked such crazy hours, it was the only time I saw you. That was back when I first started seeing Yunho. He screamed so much when he first came to me.” Yunho flushed, weirdly embarrassed by his bad behavior as a baby. “The first time he saw you, though, that was the first time I heard him quiet.”

Mingi and Yunho looked at each other. This was a lot to process.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

They didn’t speak about that night until after they were back at school. Neither of them could really handle the bomb dropped on them. Yeosang immediately picked up on Yunho’s changed mood when he got back to the dorm, but he didn’t say anything. He couldn’t. How do you explain that your entire life was a lie? What if he had a soulmate after all? He had thought he was an anomaly, but it turns out there was someone else like him. Or, he was like them. He didn’t even know anymore. For once in his life, he was glad his alcohol tolerance was low, because he really needed a drink right about now.

Mingi, on the other hand, was putting the pieces together. The early color vision, the lack of interest in dating, and the strong pull towards Yunho all made sense now. He just hated the fact that it was his _dad_ that pointed it out to him. Mingi was more convinced than ever. He had a soulmate. And that soulmate was Yunho. God, he could use a drink.

About a week after they got back, Wooyoung and Yeosang kicked Yunho out of his room. Well, it was more, they made him uncomfortable enough that he decided to find alternate arrangements. The common room was full, and it was too cold to hang out in the quad. He thought about San’s room, but remembered that Jongho was coming up this weekend, and decided against it. That left one place. Yunho groaned. It was time to face the music.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

Mingi opened the door to a very apprehensive-looking Yunho. He stepped aside wordlessly to let him into the room. Yunho walked in, just as quietly, the tension palpable, and took a seat backwards on Wooyoung’s desk chair. Mingi hopped back onto his bed. The spent the next few minutes in silence, looking anywhere but at each other.

“So,” “So…” They broke the silence at the same time, laughing at the snapped tension.

Mingi sighed. “I believe in soulmates.” He confessed. “I believe the whole love story, and I want to find a happily ever after. I never thought I would. I thought I missed my chance.”

Yunho nodded. “I do too. I never thought I had one, so I gave up. But maybe I was wrong.”

“It’s happened before.”

“Shut.”

Mingi shrugged.

Yunho continued. “Maybe I’m right, I don’t know. But I feel something. And I really hope I’m not alone.” His cheeks flared red as he looked anywhere but at Mingi.

“I’m not any good at this.” Mingi confessed. “But I think you’re it. I think you’ve always been it. The endgame.” Mingi stood up from the bed and slowly made his way over to Yunho. He rested his hand briefly on Yunho’s shoulder before moving it up to card through his hair. Slowly, oh so slowly, he leaned down until their faces were inches apart. “And I think we both win.”

Yunho stretched up to connect their lips, a meeting of plush silk that sent shivers down his spine. Mingi angled his head slightly to press more firmly against him, pulling him up out of the chair. Yunho’s hands grabbed at the fabric around Mingi’s waist, nearly desperate for more contact. He licked against the younger boy’s lower lip, startling him into opening his mouth. Yunho took that chance to wrap his tongue around Mingi’s, a battle for dominance quickly beginning. The initial spark kindled by the kiss blazed hot and fast, and they soon found themselves panting, foreheads resting against each other.

Yunho grinned. “Not endgame.” He shook his head. “More like a sequel.”

“Gross.” They heard from the doorway. Wooyoung stood there, keys in hand, door propped open. Neither one had heard the door open. “Took you fucking long enough though. I owe Jongho 20…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's all she wrote...
> 
> As always scream at me in the comments.  
> But you can also scream at me [here](https://twitter.com/minnisoldenough)  
> (Please do, I want to keep up with you lovelies on the tweeter bird)

**Author's Note:**

> If you like what you read, please consider my [ko-fi!](https://ko-fi.com/minntee)


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